Acts chapter 15 is where the Jewish Christians say, hey, isn't it time we talked about circumcision? Because, as some Jewish believers contend, how can you possibly get into Heaven without cutting off the tip of your penis? So Paul and Barnabas decide to travel to Jerusalem and get this sorted out. (I already answered whether the gospel should be preached to everyone in
Acts chapter one.) When they arrive, the Christians get together and debate over circumcision and whether it's required of believers in Christ. Finally, Peter stands up and says that since God has already shown that Gentiles are welcome in the kingdom of God, why should Jewish Christians require them to follow the Mosaic Law? (I answered whether God can be tempted in
Exodus chapter 17.) After Peter, Paul and Barnabas talk about all the missionary work that they have done among the Gentiles. Finally, James speaks, and quotes the prophet Amos, and suggests that they should just tell Gentiles to abstain from idols, fornication, strangled things, and blood. This is a fascinating thing that I think I mentioned before a couple times: that Christianity actually does have dietary restrictions, and here they are. I answered whether it's okay to eat blood in
John chapter six. I answered whether it's okay to have sex outside of marriage in
Exodus chapter 20.
Is it OK to eat meat sacrificed to other gods? Finally, a new question! The answer to this one is pretty much a "depends"; note that most of these verses come not just from the same book, but from the same
chapter!
1Corinthians 10 is just a place where Paul is taking time to examine this in detail, and the message is clearly not a contradiction when he has two things to say immediately following one another.
1Corinthians 10:27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
The guidelines Paul gives for this is that if you don't know whether the meat set before you had been a sacrifice, don't worry about it, but if you do know it was, don't eat it in that case. He's saying it's really a matter of conscience pretty clearly.
So with everyone in agreement, they write a letter to send to the churches so the Gentiles will know about this. They send Paul and Barnabas, since they know all these churches, and Judas Barsabas and Silas, since they're apparently prophets. And the Gentiles were very glad they didn't have to cut off the tips of their penises. After a while, Paul wants to go back and visit all the churches one more time, but Barnabas wants to take John Mark, who (as I mentioned a few chapters back) Paul is angry at for abandoning them on their first journey. So they split up, Barnabas taking John Mark to Cyprus, and Paul taking Silas to Syria.
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I forgot I wanted to come back and comment further on "fornication" (Greek "πορνείας") and the implications thereof. The KJV is at least consistent in translating this Greek word "fornication" every time it appears, but is it a correct translation? In 1Corinthians chapter five Paul uses this word to describe a sexual relationship between a man and his stepmother. Now, if the issue was fornication, the Corinthians would have heard of the Jerusalem council and knew this was wrong, so it seems likely to me that this was not fornication. For those not in the know, "fornication" refers to sex between unmarried people, and it's likely the man at Corinth has married his father's widow. Now most other Bible translations render "πορνεία" as "sexual immorality", which sounds more likely, but presents a different challenge, also illustrated by 1Corinthians five: how do you define "sexual immorality"? I know the Mosaic Law actually addresses the issue of a man having sexual relations with his stepmother four times, but if the point of the Jerusalem council was that Gentiles are not bound by the Mosaic Law, how would they know? What other sexual activities are Gentile Christians forbidden from? Are Gentiles not allowed to have sex with their wives when they're menstruating? Are you not allowed to have sex with your brother's wife, unless he dies childless, in which case you are required to? Who knows? I think there is a real possibility of a shortcoming here with respect to what constitutes "sexual immorality" and it's possibly a big can of worms to open.
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